The Return
by PinkRangerV
Summary: Kimberly Hart has been gone for ten years. So why is she coming back? And what does a dreaming five-year-old, ex-boyfriend, ex-enemy, and the Allied Forces of Light have to do with it? AU. Not giving away the pairing.
1. Chapter 1

A\N: Aaaaand....I'm back! Don't know what happened, but let's see if this is as good as it should be. Enjoy! (I never thought I'd say this, but just in case it isn't clear enough, the alien speech is in . Whatever they're called.) Might have more chappies, but I'm not sure. Let me know if you want them!

* * *

I failed once.

I don't know why. Kimberly Hart, the mighty Pink Ranger, fell apart, and I shouldn't have, by any means. But I do know that as I stand here at this viewport, the invisible bubble of my fear appears over my head. The words ring into my mind. _Not good enough. Weak little girl. You ran away._

I am going to punch through that bubble, and if I have anything to say about it, the remains of it will eat away at the ones who left me behind. The Earth seems a fitting place to do it, too.

Ma'm. First Officer Telin says, Triforian syllables rolling off his tong. We've arrived.

I nod. Thank you. I walk over to the captain's chair. Teleportation room, prepare for a passenger. I turn to Telin. First Officer Telin.

Yes, Ma'm.

Congratulations. You're captain now. Godsspeed.

Yes, Ma'm. Telin's smile becomes softer. I'll miss you, Kimmerly.

I'll probably never get used to hearing my name pronounced right. I say dryly. I'll miss you too.

I step out into the teleportation bay. The guy we jokingly named 'Scotty' grins at me. "Ready for teleportation?" He asks. He used to be a scholar, so he knows the modified English that's used as Basic.

"You got it. Beam me up, Scotty." I say, stepping onto the teleportation platform.

"Yes Ma'm. Godsspeed."

"Godsspeed." I note the enunciation again. Gods' speed, not God's speed. Plural gods. I never believed in them on Earth. I never believed in a lot of things on Earth.

Boy, are they in for a shock.

I land in the middle of a sunny field and smile as a bright flash catches my eye. Then I look around.

I'm in a park, behind a tree. Hey, I remember this--wait a minute. Those little...they sent me to Angel Grove! I shoot a glare at the sky. That explains the rush to get out of there, all right. Ahh, the joys of being an officer in the Allied Forces. All the pranking subordinates you could want.

A little girl in pink runs up to me. I blink. She looks familiar. Far too familiar. What in the world is she? "Hi. I picked these for you." She says, handing them to me. "I know you didn't fall out of the sky, but I thought you'd like them anyway."

Strike that. Pranking, about-to-be-court-martialed subordinates. I look around irritably. If they just marooned me on Tallia or Triforia, I will be pissed as hell.

"Um, sorry. I keep forgetting. Uncle Casey says I should explain myself before I start talking." The girl sticks out a hand. "How do you do I'm Tara Hart and I'm five years old and I dreamed about you and no I'm not crazy."

WHAT?

"Tara...who?" I ask weakly.

"MONSTER!"

My head whips up. Sure enough, there's a monster. I pull the little girl behind me. "Tara, stay put." I tell her, pulling out my morpher.

_You can't do this,_ the voices whisper, stronger than ever. _You aren't ready. You're just a scared little girl who runs away._

"PTERODACTYL!"

The first punch feels wonderful. I'd forgotten just how much of a rush this was, but with every punch I can feel the words flying away, the bubble bursting. Behind me, the new Rangers whisper their astonishment.

Finally I get bored.

I pull out my pistol, switch the setting, and blow the thing into the last century. I grin. "You know," I comment, "Learning how to switch these settings is useful."

Then I turn and see Tommy Oliver.

"T-Tommy?" I stammer.

"Kim?" He replies, sounding dazed. He steps closer and raises his hand to my helmet.

"MOMMY!" A pink blur screams, running into my stomach.

Tommy's eyes meet mine, and suddenly, we laugh. Just laugh.

That's when I know that everything's going to be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

A\N: Sorry. Just realized exactly how confused the last chappie was. After this, no more writing on Windows ME. On the other hand...REVEIWNESS!!! (They're my first feedback in months, can ya blame me?)

* * *

"I am not the mouse with people traps."

Everyone stares at me. "Um, sorry. Read that somewhere. All my wacko friends started saying it too." I look down at the little girl who has me in a death grip. "Okay, honey? Can you let go now?"

"No." She tells my stomach. "You're my mommy and you're here now."

I look at Tommy.

"Um." He says. "She got left with me by accident...you know, I just realized we're standing morphed in the middle of a giant field and we should probably take this somewhere else."

I look around at the staring civilians. "Right."

We disappear in bursts of colored light, demorphing in Tommy's house. It's a nice place, I realize. Obviously a secret chamber below the house, I can see the trapdoor's outline, but very nice house.

"Who _is_ this lady?" The Red Ranger bursts out.

Once the introductions are made and the kids (Tommy seriously thinks he's their mother or something, I swear,) are shooed out, Tommy sits me down with coffee and tells Tara to go play.

"No." She says, sitting on me. She hasn't let go of me for hours. "Mommy's home and I'm staying."

Great. I raise an eyebrow at Tommy. "Did you have a girlfriend a few years ago and forget to tell me?"

Tommy blushes. "No, um. She was left on my doorstep about five years ago. I don't know why, she doesn't look a thing like me and I haven't had sex since..." He turns an even brighter red. "Uh, I mean, um..."

I smile, putting a finger to his lips. At least I know how to solve this. "Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when you stammer?"

He shuts up.

"I have no idea who you are." I tell Tara.

"It's okay. You aren't my mommy here. You're my mommy in the world you thought was a dream, but you know it's not." Tara tells me calmly.

"Glad we've settled that." Tommy mutters.

"Does she have visions often?" I ask.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Tommy looks cute when he's suspicious, too.

"I get them all the time. Honey, you mean I'm your mommy in my home universe?"

"What?" Tara asks.

Great. Now I have to explain trans-dimensional theory to a five-year-old. "Never mind." I say, giving up. "Tommy, there's a lot you need to know, and not a lot of time."

"So tell me." He challenges. "Start with where you've been for the past decade."

Past...oh, right. I sigh. "Tara? I have to talk to Tommy about adult stuff. Why don't I show you how to make a daisy chain?" That should be tricky enough to keep her occupied.

"I know how. I wanna hear it." Tara says, refusing to budge.

"No you don't." I tell her quietly. "Come on, isn't there _anything_ you want to do?"

Tara thinks. "I know! Tea party!" She scrambles down from my lap. "I need cups and a blanket..."

I roll my eyes as she takes off. "Who fed her sugar?" I ask dryly.

"Conner, I think." Tommy grumbles.

"The Red one?"

"Yeah. Unfortunatly." Tommy raises an eyebrow. "You aren't Kim. You're close, but you aren't her."

"No, I'm not." I agree. I curl my hands around my coffee mug and sigh. "There are other universes, Tommy. You've been to the Dark Dimensions. Well, there's more. There's a long and complicated explination to it, but I never understood it, so let's just say that I'm from a universe where things are different."

"Okay." Tommy accepts it without a whimper of protest. Not quite the Tommy I left behind, then, are you?

"In that other universe," I begin, "You were never freed from Rita's spell. Not totally. We could free you for a week or two at a time, but it never lasted. Finally you asked us to just stop trying, because it hurt more to keep thinking that this time you might finally be free than to just give up." I don't let the tears fall. "We agreed."

Tommy nods, eyes solemn.

"In that universe, you're a lot more right-brained. You always were flunking math and science. And Rita kept you around because you could do magic. When we were both about twenty, you had pretty much taken over for Rita and Zedd. You singlehandedly plunged Earth into war." I shut my eyes. "Then you kidnapped me."

"Oh. Oh my god, Kim." He reaches out, hesitantly taking my hand. I hold onto it, the lifeline of the boy I left behind.

"I fell in love with you." I tell him. "You were...horrible. A horrible person. But sometimes, the boy we could save would flash through, only not a boy anymore. A man. The Green Ranger part of you, he called himself Talorn, was smart enough to know that I would serve him if he let you make his demands." I open my eyes again, not bothering to hide my tears. "Zordon saved me." I tell him, my voice getting stronger. "He saved me and my child, but I was in a coma when I gave birth. I don't even know how that was possible, but I know that I had to be woken by my one true love."

"A spell?" Tommy asks in surprise.

I nod. "A powerful one. Even after we found a way to negitate it without you, the effects stayed until now." I don't speak again for a moment, letting myself regroup. "I became part of the Eltarian army, one of their best generals. But Talorn...he can get here, Tommy. You aren't safe."

Tommy nods. "How bad is he? I mean, is he worse than Mesegog?"

"You ever read 1984? Gorge Orwell? Where the whole nation is a police state?" I ask. "That's what he tried to do. Did, in a few countries. And he convinced me to help him." I smile bitterly. "If I'm anything like your Kimberly, you probably don't know, but when I became Pink Ranger, there was a damn good reason. I spent my whole childhood fighting bullies. You were the only one who could change that, Tommy."

"You aren't a whole lot like my Kim. She's a little more bubbly." Tommy says dryly. "But yeah. I get the picture." He glances at Tara. "Um...Kim? Do...do you think..?"

I look over and sigh. "Could be. She looks a lot like him. But I'm not sure. Zordon tried to tell me she died, but I knew..." I shake my head. "It doesn't matter. We have to save the world, Tommy."

"I bet you say that a lot."

I raise an eyebrow again.

Tommy smiles. "You told me this to do your duty, not to feel better. Telling me hurt you, because you still see me as the man who hurt you. And when I do this," He gently taps my wrist, "You flinch."

I glare.

"You're trying to protect yourself, aren't you?" He asks.

"Personal insights aren't going to help the mission." I snap, pulling my hand back. "Are you going to help, or should I get the government involved."

"Depends." Tommy asks. "What happened to my Kim?"

Oh. Oh, God, Tommy...

"She's missing in action." I say quietly. "I don't know what happened, but she's gone. She's been gone for ten years."

Tommy hesitates.

For one second, I remember telling him that I would always love him. That I wanted to be with him forever. Later, that I was pregnant, that Jason had died and not at his hands.

I remember his final true plea to me.

_"Let me go, Kim."_

Tommy's head raises, and fire flashes in his eyes.

"Let's save the world."


End file.
